My name is Amanda & I am a Curly Hair Artist & Deva Inspired Advanced Stylist in Australia. My passion is working with & cutting naturally curly hair & teaching curlies how to really manage what you were given without the need to resort to straightening. Ugh!
As a member of the Curly Hair Artistry group I attend training events regularly so I can keep up to date with new techniques & to be able to bring those skills back to my salon to give my clients the best possible curliscious experience possible.

So you have decided to wear your hair natural after years of not really knowing how to look after it! Yay, congratulations. I am really happy to hear it & am here to help you in your transition & the journey that follows. In this first blog, I will give you a few basic tips & hints on starting the journey from frizz to curl. I will tell you honestly, it is not going to be an overnight sensation for some of you! Some curlies have had chemical straightening or relaxing done in their hair, so the journey will take longer. Some of you have tried Brazilian/ keratin smoothing of various types so you might also find a longer journey to curl. Whatever you have tried over the years, I want to tell you, that with some perseverance & armed with the correct knowledge, you really can learn to live with & love your natural curl!! Don't believe all the hype about straight hair being sexy. Curls Rule!!

As far back as I can remember I always believed my hair to have this "weird, stupid kink" that went puffy in the rain & humidity. So I tied it back. My mum told me I had some curls when I was a baby, but those curls were never visible to me most of my life. So I tied it back. Then perming was an option. I looked like a sheep, so I tied it back. Or in the 80's, used a banana clip, hehe. But I still tied it back. I think nearly all curly girls have horror stories about their hair. A lot had thick hair that was a mass of frizz & of course, once brushed, it grew. Outwards......like fairy floss. There are stories of kids at school relentlessly teasing curlies about their hair because it wasn't "normal" hair. There were the girls who wore braids all the time because nobody knew what to do with curly hair- lots of curlies have "straight" mums who unfortunately don't know how to look after their daughters' curly hair. Whatever your experiences are, chances are there are lots of other curlies who know exactly what you went through to lead you to loathe your hair. My aim is to reverse all these bad thoughts - you know, like, Let It Go - & help you to LOVE what you were given. Keep in mind, that our complexions, face shape, features, hair colour & it's shape (curly/ wavy/ swavy or straight) was all designed especially to suit YOU while in the womb. It was all made to match! Have you ever looked at yourself in a mirror after straightening your hair & wondered if it really does suit your face shape? I have & personally, I hate (& I don't use that word much) my hair straight- always have. Eek.

To begin your journey from frizz/ fuzz/ puffy- whatever you like to call your hair- to curl, you must be committed to spending some time, effort & money to achieve a great outcome. I'm sorry, but there is no magic to it & yes, you need to spend a little extra time, especially in the beginning. And please, don't think you can do this on the uber cheap. If that was the case, you probably wouldn't have a need for professional advice. I am not saying you need to invest the economy of a small nation but seriously, don't be a cheapskate either. Invest in good quality hair products or you may still have the same problem hair you started with. I kid you not. I tried, so I talk from experience.

This might sound strange,  but take the time to know how to really use the products you purchase. I prescribe, use & sell Jessicurl in my salon as I believe in the product & know it will give the results I want to achieve. Be aware there are ways to get the best out of a product & there are ways of not getting such a good outcome. I teach all my new curly clients exactly how to use the products I choose to use in their hair by giving them a one on one lesson at the basin. The Jessicurl website has some really useful videos showing how to use products relating to different curl types here: https://www.jessicurl.com/curly-care-center/videos-how-use-our-products

Initially, you may have a silicone build-up in your hair that will need to be cleansed out in order for your hair to lose that plasticky, waxy coating. I suggest making an appointment with me to have a detox cleansing done in the salon. If that is not possible, then you could try using a deep cleansing shampoo at home, to remove the build up. I know this type of shampoo will have sulfates, so it's just a once-off .
The next step is getting your hands on a hydration product. I use that term rather than "conditioner" because that is precisely what it needs to be able to do for your hair - hydrate it! According to dictionary.com Hydration (v) is to undergo or cause to undergo treatment or impregnation with water. Combining the product with water while working through your curls is going to make you wonder why you didn't know this earlier in your life!
Thirdly, a styling product which is curl friendly is mandatory. You can even try making your own from the recipes on naturallycurly.com & you will know exactly what the ingredients are. 
In a future blog I will go further into the ingredients of curl friendly products that are the good ones vs ingredients to steer away from. 

This first blog is intended to introduce myself & provide the most basic of information, mainly for those curlies who are new to this routine. I want to start right at the beginning (frizz) & work through to the end (gorgeous curls) by offering information I hope you find useful. Don't forget "It's more than just hair. It's an attitude" - Lorraine Massey

Next Blog: Ingredients - Good vs Bad  - Amanda